5 ways to make your outdoor space beautiful

JACKSONVILLE, Florida--When you own country land, you have a blank canvas to create the backyard of your dreams. But where do you begin?

We asked the master of outdoor space design, Earth Works owner Jason Duffney, to share five of the best ways you can enhance your property. Duffney, who spoke to us at the Jacksonville Home + Patio Show, is a bit of a legend, himself, at the show alone, bringing in top prizes regularly for the beautiful displays he builds to look like outdoor spaces. Imaging how much more stunning his projects are on actual properties!

Here are Jason’s tips for 5 features to enhance your backyard:

1) Just add water

Having a water feature is Jason’s top pick for one very important reason: water attracts nature. Once you have water, you’ll also have birds, butterflies, bees and others bringing your backyard to life.

“Adding a waterscape to your property is not as hard as it looks -- it can be done in as little as two hours,” Jason says.

He recommended watching this video for an easy, step-by-step method:

2) An enjoyable space for you

“You’ll want to be able to go out there and enjoy yourself, so incorporate a hardscape or a patio - something you can put furniture on, sit down and enjoy your outdoor space,” Jason says.

3) Fire

Having a fire pit will bring people out of the house and into your beautiful backyard to sit around and enjoy themselves. It serves as a place to warm up, a place to cook, and a place to visit.

“If you build a gas firepit, you can use it year-round,” Jason says.

4) Outdoor kitchen

One of the ultimate ways to get outside and enjoy your space is an outdoor kitchen. By bringing your cooking conveniences outside - and all you need to sit down and enjoy your meal - your backyard becomes a true gathering place to eat and be merry.

5) Lighting

“Lighting is actually a super important part of your outdoor space - especially here in the South, where we have such hot weather,” Jason said.

He said outdoor spaces can actually be most enjoyable at night when good lighting is incorportated.

“It looks somewhat magical at night, with the lighting on the trees,” Jason said.

Jason’s business, Earth Works, can help you create your space. They have a nursery in Jacksonville in addition to offering landscaping, pond building, gardening seminars, pest control, irrigation, landscape design and fire places. Learn more at earthworksgardencenter.com.

And if you're still looking for the rural land to start designing your dream homestead and outdoor space on, vview country land for sale throughout the South - including properties in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia -- at RaydientPlaces.com. Raydient is Rethink:Rural's parent company.

Tiffany Wilson

The editor of Rethink:Rural, Tiffany Wilson has been passionate about writing - and country life - since childhood. She grew up in a log house in the hills of a small town in Upstate New York. She previously worked as a newspaper reporter and hospital communications coordinator. Today, she lives with her husband and children in Yulee, Florida, and in her free time maintains a popular blog for parents in the Amelia Island area.

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Real people. Real stories. Real land. Rethink:Rural celebrates the virtues of country living and helps those who are searching for a rural lifestyle find the answers they need: learn why so many people are choosing rural life, plus get practical information on how to buy land and shape it to suit your dreams.